Date: November 7, 2019
Location: Scott City, Missouri
Address: 179 Rushing Road, 63780
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Grain Dust
Industry: Grain Processing (Agriculture)
Equipment: Grain Elevator
Company: Midwest Grain and Barge
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company’s website, Midwest Grain and Barge is the only locally owned and operated river terminal in Southeast Missouri/Southern Illinois. It opened for business in 1998 and is located at the Southeast Missouri Port Authority in Scott City, Missouri.
The facility includes two 950-bushel dump pits and a 400-foot long conveyor system capable of delivering 500 tons per hour to a barge. Storage capacity includes two 45,000-bushel hopper bottom bins and a 120,000-bushel bin.
Incident Description:
On November 7, 2019, the Southeast Missourian reported a two-alarm fire at a grain processing facility in Scott City, Missouri.
When firefighters responded to the 10:46 a.m. call, they discovered a large fire, which was determined to have started in an electrical control room behind a set of silos. It then burned through an awning in a nearby loading area where tractor-trailers deposit product to be transferred into the silo. The heat and smoke traveled up the shafts in the elevators that haul the grain up.
A second alarm was issued at around 11:00 a.m. to bring assistance from neighboring fire departments. Power was turned off at the scene to facilitate the firefighting efforts.
Smoke damage affected one silo and stored soybeans. Metal structures near the silos warped and failed because of heat. Other losses included soybeans damaged in a smoke-filled elevator.
No one was injured.
Sources:
Southeast Missourian
